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Nympheic
Nympheic, literally "Nymph-speak," was a broad language and dialect group which was dominant until the end of the First Age. It included all languages of the Nymphs and some related Elven dialects. Nympheic originally evolved, following the Magín Exodus, as a combination of Dardeic (later known as "Elfeic) and "Peltic," the native language of the Nymphs, or Feyliads. It was, therefore, a mixture of native Elfgardian languages and Dynastan language, as a result of Magín intervention into Nympheic, or Feyliad, culture. The Nympheic linguistic group was later displaced by the Celestín or Elexstín group, a series of languages which increased with the burgeoning number of Elves in Elfgard during the end of the First Age. There were only two extant Nympheic languages by MA 1055, Aldymor and Alneic, the latter being an Elven dialect considered part of the Nympheic group. Origins Feyliad populations on Elfgard had diminished significantly prior to the Magín Exodus due to a series of Feyliad-Shallnor wars. It is believed that Feyliad cultures and languages were initially widespread and diverse but many, as a result of these wars, disappeared. Upon first contact between the Magín and the Feyliads there was only one remaining "Nympheic" language, which the Magín labeled "Nympheic" after the Dardeic word for the Feyliads, Nymphë. (The Magín would later distinguish the native Feyliad language from the later Dardeic variation by calling the original "Peltic," after their word for the pre-contact Feyliads. The pre-Exodus inhabitant of Elfgard and acquaintance of Darius, Shan'tir, would later say the Feyliad language was called ylsnka in his tongue and murndadth by the Feyliads). The Magín, to foster communication between them and the Nymphs, insisted the latter learn Dardeic, or as the Nymphs would later call the language, Elfeic. Duron Ai-Antë supported the Dynastan influence on the Nymphs, but warned his fellow Magín of the faults of colonialism. He crafted a moderate policy that allowed the Nymphs to remain relatively independent but still benefit from Magín protection. The Nymphs were ultimately influenced, but the impact is unknown. Those Nymph populations who rejected the Magín, fearing the external influence and distrusting the foreign invaders, continued to speak "Peltic" and create independent villages. Without the protection of the Magín, the original Feyliad culture, and people, dwindled. They were believed to be exinct by FA 350. The Nymph language, as used by the Nymphs of the early First Age, was cohesive, meaning the same words and dilects were spoken almost universally. The majority of Nympheic words derived from Dardeic, or were completely borrowed. Over time, few native Feyliad words were used. Dardeic and Nympheic were almost identical (and, indeed, until later studies, were believed to be the same language), facilitating easy social, political, and commercial connections. Ai-Antë's policy of considerable nonintervention into Nympheic development eventually led, however, to linguistic divergence. Since the Magín were "immortal" their language never changed, as it remained stable within a certain geographicl region. For the Nymphs, however, generational and geographical shifts caused the "Nympheic" language to evolve into a variety of sub-languages. The Evolution of Nympheic Languages The term "Nympheic" was not officially used until linguistic research was published by Therin Gordarian and Duron Ai-Antë in the FA 700's and 800's. The language spoken by the Nymphs was simply labelled, by the Magín, Dardeic. "Nympheic" was sometimes used to describe the pre-contact language, though "Peltic" was the more widely accepted term. The concept of a distinct "Nympheic" language group was ignored until Gordarian's studies. Therin Gordarian, as an anthropologist, linguist, and social researcher, became fascinated by the cultural and social evolution of the Nymphs. His first major evaluation of the Nympheic people was an analysis of linguistic evolution and language-identity, comparing the original Dardeic and new forms of the already eclectic "Nympheic" tongue. (He enlisted Duron Ai-Anteë as his research assistant; Ai-Antë compiled and archived Gordarian's data and helped him solidfy his linguistic and social theories). He was the first to suggest that Magín immortality was stunting cultural, technological, and social evolution, as, in comparison, Nympheic culture was rapidly changing. The Nymphs had, by FA 800, expanded their political boundaries into what would later be called Ollindor and Elvía. Gordarian recognied a sublte changing of Nympheic languages, a divergence, which was creating two or three distinct dialects. He called these categories Nymphíd, Elfwhín, and Oruneic. He theorized that, over time, these dialects would evolve into distinct languages all sharing Dardeic attributes and retaining some "Peltic" variations. This was proven true and was exacerbated by the Magín decision to conceal "Elfmor," which isolated these different linguistic groups and further facilitated isolated development. There were two more documented Nympheic languages on Ollindorand Elvía, Alneic, which emerged simultaneously with the Elves, and Thandereic. Nympheic exploration of distant continents also facilitated geographical variations of Nympheic languages.